The Five Elements in
Chinese Philosophy

The yin and yang philosophy was further refined into the
system of the five elements to gain a deeper understanding of how the body, mind and
spirit work and acupuncture.

The microcosm of the body is linked to the universe and is
affected by the daily and seasonal cycles of nature. (Think about the seasonal affective
disorder which manifests itself in winter or when the light is not sufficient). The
individual and the world are changing all the time. But Chinese believe that these changes
are occurring in certain order and in cycles. (We can think about these like our economic
cycles or agricultural cycles. A period of growth is always followed by a period of
stagnation or unemployment. In the stock market, a bull market is always followed by a
bear market etc.) In the same way, a seed planted in spring blooms in summer, seeds itself
in late summer to autumn, dies in winter, and a new seed grows again in spring. It is part
of a never-ending cycle and each phase has its role to play in maintaining the balance of
nature. The same process of change occurs within the body. Cells grow and die to make way
for new cells, and body systems depend upon each other in a similar way to the seasons,
working together to ensure the balanced functioning of the body, mind and spirit and the
healthy flow of life through the whole person.

Representation of the Five
Elements

Chinese philosophy recognizes five distinct elements of
cyclical change called water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. These five elements can be
related to our four seasons (with a fifth late summer season) as shown in the table below.
The elements can also be related to different colors, emotion, taste, voice and various
organs. These can also be related to the selection of food and herbs. Notice the
correspondence between the Chinese philosophy and the underlying Indian philosophy, which
also classifies everything in the universe under earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

Season

Element

Yin-Yang Phase

Yin Organ

Yang Organ

Energy Pattern

Color

Emotion

Taste

Voice

Winter

Water

Full yin

Kidney

Urinary bladder

Conserved

Black

Fear

Salty

Groans

Spring

Wood

New yang

Liver

Gallbladder

Expansive

Green

Anger

Sour

Shouts

Summer

Fire

Full yang

Heart

Small Intestine

Culmination, completion

Red

Joy

Bitter

Laughs

Late Summer

Earth

yin-yang balance

Spleen

Stomach

Balance

Yellow

Sympathy

Sweet

Sings

Autumn

Metal

New yin

Lungs

Large Intestine

Contraction and accumulation

White

Grief sadness

Pungent

Weeps

Each person's physical and mental constitution can be
described as a balance of the elements in which one or more may naturally dominate. The
proportion of the elements in a person determines his or her temperament. Oriental
medicine considers the ideal condition as one in which all the five elements are in
balance or in harmony. Wood is said to be the mother of fire and the son of water. (Water
allows wood to grow, wood provides fuel for the fire). Using these relationships one can
describe all possible yin-yang imbalances within the body. The thrust of five element
diagnosis is to isolate and treat the imbalanced element, because an imbalanced element is
like a weak link in your energetic chain that can undermine the strength of your mind,
body and spirit.